The Taken King

From Destinypedia, the Destiny wiki

The Taken King
TheTakenKing-ReleaseArt.png

Developer(s):

Bungie

Publisher(s):

Activision

Platform(s):

Xbox One
Xbox 360
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 3

Release date(s):

September 15, 2015

Genre(s):

First-person shooter

Mode(s):

Campaign
Cooperative

Rating(s):

ESRB: Teen (T) for Animated Blood and Violence
PEGI: 16+

 
Crota's death was a beacon, a signal cast across the stars. The night has answered.

The Taken King is the third expansion for Destiny, and was released on September 15, 2015.[1]

The expansion's story centers around Oryx, the God-King of the Hive, and his quest for revenge, after the Guardians had slain his son Crota. He has brought a massive Dreadnaught into the system and has launched an invasion using his personal army, the Taken, members of the other races warped by the power of the Darkness into Oryx's slaves.[2] The game's story also expands upon the Darkness, the Hive, the Cabal, and the Fallen House of Wolves.[3]

The expansion was showcased at E3 2015.[4]

Appearances[edit]

Characters

Guardians, Residents of the Last City, and their Allies
The Cabal Empire
The Fallen
The Hive
The Taken
The Vex
The Reef
Historical & Other Characters

Species

Organizations

Locations

Events

Vehicles, equipment, and technology


Weapons and armor

Miscellanea

Features[edit]

Guardian subclasses & changes[edit]

  • New Subclasses and Super Abilities, acquired via special Questlines
  • Level cap is now 40, and leveling is dependent on earning experience from gameplay and is no longer tied to armor acquisition.[5]
    • Upon first logging in to Destiny after The Taken King launches, a player's characters will automatically convert to the new level system and their existing levels will be preserved. For example, a level 16 character will remain level 16, and a level 31 character will remain level 31; however, a level 27 character who owns (but does not have equipped at the time of conversion) fully upgraded armor pieces with a total Light value that would take them to level 33, will convert to level 33.
  • Every purchase of The Taken King includes one Spark of Light item, a single-use consumable that will instantly boost one character to level 25 (the level required to play the expansion's content).
  • Ghost now provides in-game lore when prompted at certain points

Loot[edit]

Locations[edit]

PVE Content[edit]

Crucible[edit]

Editions[edit]

Features Digital Download Legendary Edition (Digital) Legendary Edition (Physical) Digital Collector's Edition Collector's Edition
Digital copy of The Taken King Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Digital copy of Destiny No Yes No Yes No
Physical copy of Destiny No No Yes No Yes
Digital copy of The Dark Below No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Digital copy of House of Wolves No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Collector's Edition Digital Content1
(Shaders, Class Items, Emotes)
No No No Yes Yes
Collector's Edition Physical Content
(Steelbook Case, Cayde-6's Treasure Island book, Strange Coin replica, Relics and Artifacts, Sleeper Simulant schematic poster)
No No No No Yes
Vanguard Weapons Pack and SUROS Arsenal Pack Yes2 Yes2 Yes Yes2 Yes
Notes

1Will be available for separate purchase ($20 USD) on September 15, 2015 for all players.

2Only included with pre-orders.

Exclusive and bonus content[edit]

SUROS Arsenal Pack[edit]

The SUROS Arsenal Pack is included with pre-orders of The Taken King via select retailers. The Pack includes three SUROS weapons, the SUROS Minimalist Shader, and the SUROS Fire Emblem. Content will be available to all players after January 1, 2016.

Vanguard Weapons Pack[edit]

The Vanguard Weapons Pack is included with all pre-orders of The Taken King. The Pack includes three Vanguard-themed weapons. Content will be available to all players after January 1, 2016.

Collector's Edition Digital Content[edit]

The Collector's Edition Digital Content is included with the The Taken King physical and digital Collector's Editions, and can be purchased separately by all Destiny players beginning September 15, 2015. The content includes three class-specific Emotes, three Shaders, and three Exotic Class Items.

Founder's Fortune Pack[edit]

The Founder's Fortune Pack is a set of exclusive content awarded in The Taken King to all players who reached level 30 with at least one character in Destiny or purchased The Dark Below and House of Wolves before August 31, 2015. Content includes the Be Brave Emblem, the Old Guard Shader, the S-34 Ravensteel Sparrow, and the Brave Ghost shell. Players must purchase The Taken King before February 1, 2016 for the Pack to unlock.

Laurea Prima[edit]

Laurea Prima is an exclusive Emblem awarded in The Taken King to all players who completed the Year One Moments of Triumph before September 15, 2015. The ten Moments of Triumph are: reach level 20 with one character; complete The Black Garden; complete The Wakening; complete Queen's Ransom; discover all 20 Golden Chests; win 100 Crucible matches; complete 50 Public Events; complete Vault of Glass on Hard; complete Crota's End on Hard; complete Skolas's Revenge.

Marketing[edit]

The Taken King prologue

Red Bull Quest[edit]

In 2015, Bungie partnered with Red Bull for the "Red Bull Quest" promotion between July and September 2015. Destiny players who purchase select cans of Red Bull are able to obtain single-use redeemable codes that grant them access to the timed-exclusive Quest Make the Vanguard Smile in The Taken King and an experience-boosting item called Focused Light. The quest will be available to all players on January 1, 2016.[10] Completing the quest rewards the Joyride Ghost shell, the SR-0 Swiftriver Sparrow, and a consumable upgrade that converts the SR-0 Swiftriver to the SR-1 Swiftriver.[11]

Development[edit]

The Taken King was called "Comet: Plague of Darkness" during an early stage of its development.[12] Production started in late 2013. It was originally planned to release for $60, and include access to Europa and the European Dead Zone. Additional fireteam activities were planned. Development was rebooted in March, 2014, to focus on the Hive Dreadnaught. A public space on Mars was also planned, but was cut, and is intended for inclusion in Destiny 2.[13]

Trivia[edit]

  • The Taken King is the last expansion to be available on legacy consoles.
  • It is also the second expansion to focus on the Hive, the first being The Dark Below.

References[edit]

Timeline[edit]

Preceded by
House of Wolves
The Taken King Succeeded by
Rise of Iron